You don’t have to be right, you just have to get it right: a conversation w/Colonel Trish Csank


Leaders are expected to deal with various amounts of pressure at any given moment, and what matters most is how you handle it in that moment. On this week’s episode I welcome a leader I’ve seen successfully deal with pressure from small to large and everything in between. Colonel Trish Csank is the Wing Commander of 673d Air Base Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska. We talk about our origin story, how she works hard to avoid burnout so she can stay focused on leading a massive team, the power of the diversity of thought, and how true leaders don’t have to be right, they just have to get it right. Let’s go!

Col Trish Csank is currently assigned as the Commander, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) and the 673d Air Base Wing, JBER, Alaska. The 673d ABW consists of four groups operating and maintaining the joint base for air sovereignty, combat training, force staging and throughput operations in support of worldwide contingencies. The installation hosts the headquarters for the U.S. Alaskan Command, Eleventh Air Force, U.S. Army Alaska and the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region. The 673d ABW comprises over 5,500 joint military and civilian personnel, supporting America’s Arctic Warriors and their families. The wing supports and enables three AF total-force wings, an Army Brigade and 55 other major mission partners. In addition, the wing provides medical care to over 35,000 joint service members, dependents, VA patients and retirees throughout Alaska. The 673d ABW maintains $11.4B in infrastructure encompassing 79,000 acres, ensuring JBER remains America’s premier strategic power projection platform.